Scenes from American Life (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: A. R. Gurney, Jr.
- First Published: 1970
- Type of Work: Play
- Type of Plot: Satire
- Time of Work: The 1930’s to the near future
- Setting: Buffalo, New York
- Genres: Satire, Drama
- Subjects: Values, New York, North America or North Americans, Northeast, U.S., United States or Americans, Parents and children, Tradition, Twentieth century, Upper classes, Wealth, WASPs
- Locales: Buffalo, NY
Characters Discussed
Father, from the first and last scenes, the wealthy father of Snoozer. Depicted first as a young father and later as a family patriarch, he represents the established upper class. In concert with Snoozer’s godparents, he expresses class fears of Franklin Roosevelt and the impact of the Depression while enjoying a lifestyle aloof from the suffering around him. The family members swill bootlegged gin and give exotic, costly gifts while preaching responsibility to self and country from their hypocritical pulpit. In the last scene, Father officiates at the...
[The entire page is 924 words long]
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